Tens of thousands of people east of Houston are being told to stay indoors after benzene and other volatile organic compounds were found in the air within the city limits of Deer Park, one day after a fire that broke …

A federal judge is siding with the makers of Dum-Dums lollipops in its lawsuit against a rival candy maker. A preliminary injunction handed down in Ohio says Tootsie Roll Industries must at least temporarily stop using its new packaging for …

QBE North America, an integrated specialist Insurer, has appointed Theresa M. Zimmerman global risk solutions lead for QBE Integrated Advantage for Healthcare. She is based in Omaha, Nebraska. The newly created role supports the recently launched QBE I...

Federal and local investigators are weighing a probe of the Houston chemical blaze as hazardous compounds waft near the burned-out site. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board “is following up on the incident and should be making a decision to send …

California-based EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants has hired JoBeth Wells in Dallas as a principal in its property/casualty operations. EPIC also added Stephanie Pitzer in the Dallas property/casualty group as client executive. Both Wells and Pitz...

Anchorage school officials have approved a plan calling for $36.3 million to repair two schools damaged by the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that shook south-central Alaska. The school board voted Monday for the plan to fix Gruening Middle School and Eagle …

The Washington Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether the state Department of Ecology has the authority to cap carbon pollution from major industrial emitters, something business groups and utilities have argued can only be done by the Legi...

Norsk Hydro, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, said a key unit is operating at only 50 percent of capacity following a cyber attack on the company this week. “Extruded Solutions is working hard to enable further restarts during …

Philadelphia health officials say they now believe 67 people have contracted mumps at Temple University. City Department of Health spokesman James Garrow said the total number of probable cases stands at 67 – up from 54 cases a day before. …

The owner of a Revere, Mass.-based contracting company has been indicted in connection with a workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. Anner Valentin Amaya of Revere, Mass., was indicted by...

Deaths from flooding in the wake of Cyclone Idai climbed to more than 300 as Mozambique’s government battled to deal with the devastation wrought by one of southern Africa’s most deadly recorded storms. The toll may rise dramatically. Almost a …

Liberty Specialty Markets, part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, said it has re-domiciled its European insurance company Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe SE (LMIE) to Luxembourg, the home of its European headquarters. Liberty Specialty Markets will ma...

Wholesale specialty insurance broker AmWINS Group Inc. has announced new hires and promotions to its Specialty Logistics and AmWINS Access Personal Lines and Commercial teams, as well as several new branch leaders. Herman Cruz has joined AmWINS Special...

Theresa May gambled on a desperate bid to get her Brexit deal approved by Parliament, as a standoff with the European Union drove Britain to the brink of an economically disastrous no-deal divorce. The premier heads to the European Council …

SCOR Global P&C announced the following reinsurance appointments, effective April 1, 2019: Michel Blanc has been promoted to CEO of Reinsurance, following Jean-Paul Conoscente’s appointment as CEO of SCOR Global P&C with effect from April 1, 2019. Blan...

Volvo Cars is planning to fit its next generation of autos with cameras and sensors that will detect drunk or distracted drivers and intervene to stop dangerous rides. From the early 2020s, Volvos will have the ability to notice if …

Mike McGavick’s turnaround experiences have led him to think carefully about changes that are needed for the insurance industry. “First, cost has got to come down. It’s absurd that approximately 60 cents on every dollar is what the customer gets …

The former chief executive officer of XL Group, Mike McGavick, admits that frequently during his career he has taken on leadership roles that some of his contemporaries considered too hot to handleâ€”such as the turnarounds he led at XL Group …

Minnesota motorists would be required to use hands-free devices when talking on the phone while driving under a bill that passed the state House on Monday night, after sponsors said the measure will cut down on distracted driving and save …

Georgia’s timber industry is facing many headwinds as it seeks to recover from the severe damage wrought by Hurricane Michael late last year. The storm erased three-quarters of a billion dollars in timber, The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported. Aside f...

The National Weather Service has confirmed a 16th tornado from an outbreak that left damage across Alabama last week. Forecasters say a small twister with winds of up to 65 mph (105 kph) was on the ground for a little …

Lyft Inc. executives are focused on cutting insurance costs and will phase in self-driving vehicles on simple routes first, they said at a road show for investors ahead of the ride-hailing company’s initial public offering set for next week. Reducing …

Hurricanes Florence and Michael will never ravage the Americas again. The two names have been stricken from the official list of Atlantic storms after killing nearly 100 people in the U.S. South last year, the National Hurricane Center said in …

A union organizing Amazon.com Inc. employees in New York has filed a complaint accusing the company of illegally firing one of the labor group’s most prominent supporters. The Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union submitted a complaint Wednesda...

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday put in jeopardy an $8.5 million settlement Google made with users to resolve a class action lawsuit accusing it of violating their privacy by sharing users’ search queries with other websites. The justices, in …

The billionaire family that owns opioid-maker Purdue Pharma LP has been accused by local governments in a new lawsuit of causing the nationwide public-health crisis involving pain-killing medicines that has left hundreds of thousands of Americans dead ...

The National Rifle Association won permission from a judge to question a former New York regulatory official under oath in a lawsuit claiming the state illegally discouraged banks and insurers from doing business with the organization after a spate of …

The federal flood insurance program has a knack for inspiring ideas from reformers across the political spectrum on how to improve government. If some of today’s reformers get their way, flood insurance will become a mandatory topic at real estate …

The Main Street America Group, a super-regional property/casualty insurance company, has announced the promotions of Jeff Kusch and Chris Listau to president roles of their respective divisions. Kusch, president of field operations, and Listau, preside...

A string of small Missouri towns prepared for the next deluge along the raging Missouri River on Wednesday after flooding wreaked nearly $1.5 billion in damage in Nebraska, killing at least four people and leaving another man missing. High water …